X-ray mammography is currently the primary method for breast cancer screening. Recent randomized clinical trials have shown that screening mammography has reduced mortality from breast cancer by 25-30% in women between the ages 50-70, and by 18% among between the ages of 40 and 50. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine has indicated much could be done to improve breast cancer screening and save even more lives. The report calls for technological improvement in the accurate interpretation of mammograms and the development of new screening technologies. With the best screening method currently available, mammograms still miss up to 17% of tumors and give about 10% false-positive result.
The current medical mammography systems use absorption contrast and the images are recorded on film. Significant improvement can be made in both the image formation mechanism and image recording, as substantial gains in imaging contrast and detector efficiency are possible with recent technological development.